For The Best Trader Joe's Hash Browns, Turn To Your Air Fryer

As all breakfast lovers probably already know, Trader Joe's sells hash brown patties — similar to the ones that you would find at McDonald's — in their frozen section. This means that you can have crispy hash browns whenever the craving hits. But how do you get them as crispy as you want them? Use your air fryer.

The air fryer is the perfect method for cooking TJ's hash browns because you're guaranteed to deliver the same texture you would get at McDonald's or another restaurant but with much less oil. Just a light spray of cooking oil over the top of the hash browns will get them as crispy as deep frying in a whole vat of oil would.

Another perk of using the air fryer is how hands-off it is. Once the hash browns are in the air fryer, all you'll have to worry about is flipping them partway through. Besides that, you can focus on cooking whatever other breakfast items you're planning on serving with the hash browns. Finally, it's much faster in the oven; it should take just about 10 minutes or less in the air fryer, while the oven requires 25 minutes (plus preheating time).

First, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the hash browns to the air fryer basket directly from the freezer — there's no need to thaw them first. Additionally, you don't need to spray the bottom of the basket, as the hash brown patties will not stick. However, spray the top of the patties after putting them in the basket to make sure that they come out nice and crispy. As to how many hash browns you can cook at once, it depends on how big your air fryer is. You should be able to fit at least four hash browns in the air fryer basket, but feel free to add a couple more if there's still space between each of the patties. Additionally, you do not want to stack the hash browns; keep them in a single layer. These rules will ensure that each of the patties cooks evenly and becomes crispy. Cook for 10 minutes total, flipping at around the seven-minute mark. After the time is up, if they're crispy enough to your standards, then they're ready to go. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

All that's left to do is pair the delicious hash browns with the rest of your breakfast plate. Soft and fluffy scrambled eggs are always a good match for any breakfast food, hash browns included, as is crispy oven-baked bacon or maple-sage breakfast sausage.